Loyola Marymount University Update

During the last week of February, a delegation of members of the Catholic Labor Network, non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty from Loyola Marymount University, LMU students, and partners from Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) gathered in prayerful solidarity to deliver a printed copy of the petition to the Jesuit leadership at LMU.

They were received by Edward (Eddie) Siebert, S.J., Rector of the Jesuit community at Loyola Marymount University and Secretary of the Board. Fr. Siebert greeted the delegation, listened attentively to the concerns shared by faculty and students, and accepted the petition on behalf of the community.

The delegation respectfully requested that he pass the petition along directly to President Poon and the members of the LMU Board of Trustees. Fr. Siebert declined that specific request.

While this was not the outcome we had hoped for, the exchange was marked by civility and honest engagement. We are grateful for the opportunity to speak face-to-face and to bear witness to the dignity of the NTT faculty and the Church’s social teaching in a spirit of dialogue.

As our petition stated, Catholic Social Teaching is clear that the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively is not a political concession but a moral principle grounded in human dignity. The Church has affirmed this teaching consistently, and the Catholic Labor Network exists precisely to help our institutions live more deeply into that identity.

The LMU non-tenure-track faculty continue to seek a return to the bargaining table in good faith. Their desire is not conflict but dialogue–not division, but a university community that reflects its Catholic mission in both word and practice.